Are you consistent? Do you find that your personal and world views change from year to year or even day to day? Can we express those changes of opinion without being called impressionable or indecisive? Or if we do change our minds...even if it's a lot...are we impressionable and indecisive?

I think my views on faith, people and politics haven't changed as much as evolved over the years. I find myself troubled by the level to which I've seen what I perceive as being a growth in hateful attitudes, something I don't recall as being as pervasive in the past as today.

My evolution in views has been basically to study my own convictions to help assure myself that my origianl beliefs were well founded. While not always easy, I think the effect has been to strengthen my convictions, not weaken them.

What of our moods? do they affect your opinions on a daily basis? Especially opinions and tolerances of other people - feeling copasetic and sympathetic? feeling prickly and contentious? Think how that may affect how you feel toward illegals or drug abusing moms. is it ok that our moods can essentially change our opinions? or should we have the same thoughts no matter how we feel emotionally?

I can certainly have emotional reactions that maybe exaggerate my normal feelings. An event like 9/11, for example, was a shock and caused feelings of anger at those that caused the event. But, I don't think it changes my basic acceptance of people of all faiths, political persuasions and ethnic backgrounds.

Is it all about our individual particulars, or is it more to do with age? are we more likely to be stubborn about our own opinions when we are young and arrogant, or old and stuck in our ways?

I suppose age and the accumulated experiences of life do change us, but since I don't think of myself as stubborn or arrogant or stuck in my ways, I don't know that I can really answer this very well. I have a core set of beliefs and opinions, but, when presented rationally, I will listen (I hope) respectfully to alternative points of view and evaluate them against my own.

Intersting questions and probably deserves even more of an answer, but I guess this'll do for now.